©2001 dino perrucci
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What a great night it was, at Crossroads in Garwood NJ, October 5th I consider myself extremely honored to present jazz and blues legend Melvin Sparks, the first ever Lifetime Membership Award!
Melvin and his band consisting of Joe Hrbek on sax, George Papageorge on B3, Tim Luntzel on bass, and Tony Mason on drums, performed flawlessly, covering the likes of James Brown’s “I feel good” (which had Crossroads moving & grooving), jazz hits like George Benson’s, “Breezin” written by Bobby Womack, a couple of blues songs, and new written material from the main man of the evening Melvin Sparks!
The NY/NJ area should be proud that it has many great musicians living in and around us, and Melvin is one of our, “cream of the crop”, of the metro area performers who have been playing and recording here for over 30 years.
When you have a chance, check out some of Melvin’s recorded work, both as a session player, (Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff, Hank Crawford, Doctor John, Ron Levy, Grover Washington Jr., “Fathead” Newman, and many others), as well as his solo albums on Prestige, Muse, Cannonball, and Nectar.
And most importantly, check this band out when they perform live, as you will not be disappointed by Melvin’s dynamics as a incredibly intense guitarist, who also shows you a good time.
Congratulations Melvin, you deserve at least this award, and much, much more!
Bob Putignano
President NY Blues & Jazz
Radio Host @ WFDU’s “Across the Tracks”
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